Xinqiao Aiwu Cottage

Xinqiao Aiwu Cottage

Xinqiao Aiwu Cottage is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Xinqiao Aiwu Cottage (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Qing Dynasty

Announced: March 16, 2005

A large-scale, courtyard-style residential complex with a rectangular floor plan, covering a total area of 4,736 square meters. Originally built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, most of the existing structures date back to the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Five main buildings are arranged sequentially along the central axis, flanked by corridors and wing rooms on both sides. The complex is enclosed by a block-stone wall (partially collapsed). The principal rooms along the central axis and the side rooms all feature raised-beam wooden structures. The columns and beams are made of high-quality timber, while the brackets, lintels, and spandrels are intricately carved. The courtyard, step edges, and veranda floors are paved with stone slabs and strips, and the blue stone bases are adorned with regionally distinctive carvings such as dragons, phoenixes, lions, elephants, fish, shrimp, and crabs. The lattice windows often display bat motifs. The roof is covered with small blue tiles without drip tiles, making it suitable for the typhoon-prone local climate. The roof ridges are decorated with phoenix heads, and the overall layout from above resembles five phoenixes facing the sun.

Aiwu Cottage is one of the typical representatives of the Five-Phoenix Tower architectural style in the Taizhou region (also known locally as “Rice Boat Tower”), and it remains one of the larger, well-planned, exquisitely crafted, and historically authentic examples of this architectural type still in existence. The roof combines hip-and-gable and suspended gable styles in a harmonious manner, representing a uniquely styled residential architectural complex in China’s Jiangnan region, and holds significant scientific value for the study of Jiangnan vernacular architecture.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Network

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units